


Bones

by rennerfan_1



Category: Bones (TV)
Genre: Brennen, F/M, Other, booth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:21:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9876113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rennerfan_1/pseuds/rennerfan_1
Summary: Bones will be written like the layout of the TV series and will be a fantastic read!Chapters will be posted as a series, as if it's an episode running. I hope everyone enjoys this story and gives honest feedback.





	1. The Lost Boy

The drive to the crime scene had taken an hour and Dr Temperence Brennen huffed as she passed each perimeter, signing in and showing her credentials to the officers. She was tired and irritable at being woken up to Booth calling her at four in the morning and only agreed to attend the crime scene as a personal favour to Booth, despite being on vacation. She finally gets to the last perimeter and Booth is standing there, pen and notebook in hand. 

"Hey, Bones." He says pleasantly. "What took you so long?" 

"Booth, I'm on leave and I wasn't expecting to be called out to a scene at...five thirty in the morning." She replies, a little testy. 

"Good thing there's a thermos of coffee then." He replies and leads her to the crime scene. "The assistant director wants the best on this, so you can thank him for your early wake up call."

"I don't understand why the assistant director would be so persistent on me being here when Zack is equally as competent." Temperence states as she pulls on a pair of latex gloves. "What do you know already?" 

Booth guides her slowly to the area where the remains had been discovered. He goes on to explain that a bunch of teenagers had come to the area to sit around a campfire, get drunk and get high. One of the teenagers went to take pee and caught his foot over a mound of leaves. He checked it out and discovered a faceless skull staring back at him. 

"Doesn't their parents know where they are and what they get up to?" Dr Brennen wonders out loud. 

"Come on, we all did the same thing when we were that age. Sneaking into bars with fake I.D and hanging out at a park and drinking cheap vodka." He says with a small laugh. 

"I certainly didn't." Brennen adds seriously.  

"You're telling me that you didn't sneak into bars or drink underage?" Booth asks, eyebrow raised in question.

"No, I didn't. I was too busy focusing on my classes and studies." She tells him. "I also didn't feel the need to stimulate my senses with drugs or alcohol."

Booth is called away to speak to one of the FBI crime scene technicians and Brennen starts slowly excavating the remains. She gently brushes away the soul and takes photographs throughout the process and after an hour of gently teasing away the soil, the skull is exhumed and Booth kneels at the side of the trench. 

"This skull is very small, like a child's." She says as she instantly notices the fractures over the skull. "And the rest of the remains are intact, so it would appear." 

"Any idea how old the kid is?" Booth asks. 

"Not until a proper examination of the rest of the remains." She says, totally focused and starts excavating the rest of the remains with the same tedious process as the skull. "This could take several hours due to the unknowns surrounding the burial. If this is a recent burial like I suspect, then I don't want to destroy any possible evidence from the grave or the remains." 

Four hours later, Dr Brennen is finished excavating the skeleton remains and calls Booth over as the photographer takes more photographs, every detail of the excevation being recorded. Booth kneels down next to Brennen and his eyes move over the small remains. 

"Is that a....?" He coughs, clearing his throat. "A kid?" 

"Yes, Booth. These remains are that of a male child. My first impression of these remains are that this child was around four years old." Brennen says softly and then sighs deeply. "The team need to transport the remains back to the Jeffersonian and then I can begin a more thorough investigation." 

"Murder?" Seely asks, a lump in his throat. "Was he murdered?"

"I can't say for certain, but it does appear that this child was buried to perhaps hide his remains. I can't tell you any more." Temperence explains softly. "Whatever happened to this child, we will find the truth." 

Booth nods, chewing on his lip as he looks down at the child's remains. "You bet we will." He then turns to Brennen. "Come on, let's get some coffee while they transport the remains. The techs are going to work the scene, collect samples and get them over to Hodgins." 

A half hour later, the FBI agent and anthropologist are on their way back to the Jeffersonian and are now stuck in the early morning rush hour traffic and after twenty minutes, they still haven't moved any further in the line. An impatient Booth then makes a phone call and hits the steering wheel in frustration and Brennen just looks at her partner. 

"What?" He asks her.

"It isn't like you to display such aggressive behaviour so openly." Brennen remarks. "Is something wrong?" 

"We're stuck in traffic because some meat head decided to fall asleep at the wheel, while drunk and jackknifed his truck into the opposite lane and here we are." Booth sighs in frustration and pinches the bridge of his nose. 

"Is anyone hurt?" She asks, concerned. 

"The cop I spoke to said the truck driver is being taken to the hospital for minor injuries." He answers. "But the two oncoming cars weren't so lucky. Two adults in one car and two adults and two kids on the other, all fatal." 

It's a depressing and sobering thought that four adults and two children were killed in an accident, and the driver who caused those deaths has walked away without a scratch. It's a feeling that the truck driver would live with for the rest of his life. The traffic slowly, but steadily crawls along after an hour and as Booth inches past the crime scene, the bodies of the people who had been killed are being loaded into an ambulance. 

 

Back at the Jeffersonian, Dr Camille Saroyan and Zack Addy is standing over the remains that Brennen had excavated. There is still no sign of the anthropologist and Dr Saroyan is eager to get started and find out what happened to this child. 

"We should wait for, Dr Brennen." Zack says, fingers entwined together in front of him and sees his boss's quizzical look. "Dr Brennen is more qualified than I am, Dr Saroyan. It would be disrespectful for a student of Dr Brennen's to examine the remains before she herself did." 

"I understand what you're saying, Zack but Dr Brennen isn't here and is stuck in traffic. She isn't here to examine these remains." Camille says and pulls on a pair of gloves. "Let's get to work, Mr Addy." 

In the time it takes for Dr Brennen to return to the lab, the remains have already been scanned and x-rayed and have been measured and weighed. Anomalies were documented, particulates and trace evidence given to Hodgins to analyse and the skeleton remains were laying out in anatomical order. Dr Brennen steps up onto the main platform and is ready to find out what happened to this young boy. She calls out for Zack who is writing up his report, still unbeknown to her that she wasn't needed for the examination. 

"Zack, can you start cataloging visible injuries on the bone and then we'll get the x-ray machine." She says as she inspects the skull and pulls the adjustable light closer to the bone, then noticing that Zack is standing awkwardly at the foot of the examination table. "Is something wrong?" 

"Yes, Dr Brennen. Dr Saroyan has already had me catalogue each visible injury and the x-rays are on file." The young intern says. 

Without saying a word to her loyal intern, Temperence snaps off her gloves as she walks to Cam's office and isn't at all happy about the investigative process being started without her being there. Dr Saroyan had been expecting some kind of confrontation and she was right, it would happen as soon as Brennen saw that she didn't need to look over the remains. 

"Dr Saroyan, may I have a word with you?" Brennen says, not so much as a question but a statement to the other woman. "May I ask why you allowed Zack to begin the investigation without me?" 

"Dr Brennen, Zack Addy is a very skilled and highly intelligent anthropologist and in your abscense I had him look at the remains." Cam says. "I didn't realise that Zack doing this alone was such a big problem." 

"It isn't a problem Dr Saroyan, but more of a professional problem since Zack is still an intern even though he is more accomplished than most forensic anthropologists." Temperence starts spouting. "Regardless of his intelligence and commitment to his work, I should have been here to consult and supervise Zack's work." 

"So what you're saying is that Zack isn't good enough to be left alone with with the remains unless you are there?" Saroyan asks, not at all happy with Dr Brennen's answer. 

"Exactly, Dr Saroyan." Brennen says in a matter of fact tone. 

"Dr Brennen, I am trying to understand why you have taken such offence to your prodigee, especially when you aren't supposed to be here because you are on annual leave." She says, folding her arms over her chest. "Zack is equally as competent as you are and the only reason you were invited to the crime scene is because of Booth." 

"Agent Booth has requested that I contribute my expertise on this case, Dr Saroyan." Temperence asserts herself. "Therefore I will cancel my annual leave at this time." 

Camille Saroyan rolls her eyes and nods, bewildered at Brennen's attitude.  It seemed that Temperence Brennen and Seely Booth's relationship was more than just a professional, even going past the friendship area and into something more, but the two individuals refused to see what everyone else at Jeffersonian saw on a daily basis.  Dr Saroyan watches the  renowned and famous anthropologist gather with her intern, Zack Addy. 

"Dr Brennen, I apologise for studying the remains so soon without your supervision." The young intern says with sincerity. "I didn't realise that you would return since you are on leave." 

"It's quite alright, Mr Addy. Dr Saroyan has informed me that you have catalogued the visible injuries and completed the x-rays." Dr Brennen says in her usual professional manner. "What have you concluded from your examination?" 

"These remains are female due to their U shaped sub pubic arch and belong to a child based on the femur and other markers." Zack says confidently. 

"Very good, Mr Addy." Temperence replies as she examines the skull very carefully. "I agree with your analysis of these remains. Dr Saroyan said that you have also catalogued the injuries, so what do we have?" 

"The victim has greenstick fractures over the rib bones which have remodelled naturally over time, but you can see that there are several others over the same rib bones." Addy explains. 

"Some of these remodelled fractures are more than two years old and both sides of the rib cage are equally as damaged with previous fractures." Brennen points out. "A lunate fracture is apparant in the wrist, consistent with chronic recurrent trauma, like a twisting or  a pulling movement with force. There is also a Galeazzi fracture here that is at least six to twelve months old. There are more fractures on the other side of the rib cage,  some ranging between one year and four years old."

"Dr Brennen, the x-rays show that the victim was beaten which resulted in more skeletal damage." Zack cuts in. "I actually feel nauseous." 

Brennen speaks clearly. "These injuries are very disturbing." She pauses for a second. "Let's continue the examination  and then we can conclude what happened to this boy." 

Dr Brennen then asks Zack Addy to recall the injuries that are to the bone and to explain what caused such injuries, then asks him to analyse the x-rays and radiographs. It's clear that the deceased child had suffered at the hand's of someone else, numerous injuries  The victim was undernourished and lacking essential vitamins and nutrients, a pattern beginning to evolve on the examination table but Dr Brennen is concerned because someone should be missing a child. As Brennen and Zack discuss the remains, Agent Booth comes into the lab. 

"We're still waiting to find a match on the missing person's database, Agent Booth." Zack says and turns to inspect more bones. 

"Already done." Booth says as he hands Temperence the file under his arm. "It's Dale Brewster." 

Dr Brennen takes the file and rushes to the computer and keys in the file number and within seconds a series of x-rays fills the screen. She compares the x-rays she took to the ones Booth brought her and she nods slowly, they're a match. The child is confirmed to be Dale Brewster, a five year old boy at the time of his disappearance. Brennen confirms that the child would still have been the same age at time of death, but Booth wants answers which no one can give clearly until the scientists have finished running tests. Brennen and Booth go into her office so he can brief her on the case file, especially since she would be joining him on the front line. 

"Dale went missing three years ago from outside his parent's house on Newcastle Street one Sunday. He was out in the front yard playing with his toys and his mom went inside to answer the phone, so a few minutes later she came out and he was gone." Seely Booth explains. "She checked everywhere, in the garage and under bushes, in the trash cans and checked along at a swing park flat was a block away. Mandy Brewster couldn't find him, so she called the police and got as many neighbours she could to help her find Dale. So the PD came out and filed a missing kid's report, then they found a sneaker in the middle of the sidewalk and the uniforms got the detectives in." 

Brennen listens intently. "Did the police officers find anything?" 

"The PD found CCTV from the street that shows Dale Brewster walking with a man, holding hands. He takes the kid into an alley and then comes out of it five minutes later, without the kid." The FBI agent says, frowning. "The alleyway had another entrance, but it wasn't covered by CCTV. The guy walked out the same way he walked in, back to the cameras. There was no way we could identify the abductor from behind." 

"So it's possible that there was a second person in the alleyway who took Dale Brewster." Brennen says not as a question, but as a statement. "No one saw anything?" 

Booth shakes his head and sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looks at the photograph that was pinned in the boy's file and remembers his own son at that age, vulnerable and unsure of the big wide world. 

"I have to go see his parents and tell them that their son was found." He isn't at all happy about having to tell them their son is dead.  

"Booth, I have some concerns about Dale Brewster's physiology." Temperence says. 

"Sure, what's up?" Seely asks and isn't sure what she has uncovered in her investigation of the remains. "Bones?"

"Dale Brewster's remains show prolonged malnutrition and fractures that were antimortem trauma." She tells him and shows him the photographs of the postmortem injuries in the victim's bones. 

"Dale Brewster was abused?" He looks to her, sickened by the possibility. 

"Yes, some of the injuries in the bone going back to an age period of eighteen months, possibly before that."  The forensic anthropologist says. 

"Poor kid." He says quietly. 

"Angela and Cam are tracking down medical records to see if a time line can  be established by recorded injuries." Brennen goes on. "Some of the injuries were medically treated, but most of them were left to heal themselves." 

"Like someone was afraid to take their kida to the hospital?" Booth asks. 

"Yes, exactly. I have seen similar cases like this before in Africa were most people can't afford doctors or medicine, so they allow nature to take it's course. These injuries where medical treatment isn't received are identical to those cases in Africa." While she talks, Booth is texting a message to one of the other agents to retrieve the Brewster case.  

The Dale Brewster abduction is officially reopened.


	2. The Lost Boy chapter two

Booth and Brennen are sitting in her office going over their findings from the examination and are trying to find current addresses for Dale Brewster's parents. Dealing with a death that involved a child is never easy and every investigator wished that it didn't happen, but sadly it happened more than the average person thought. It would terrify the public if they really knew how many deaths each year involved children. Dr Brennen is reviewing the x-rays on her computer while Booth sits impatiently on hold with another agent who is trying to track down the victim's parents. After twenty minutes, they have a result and the family liason officer who worked with the family in the weeks, months and years after, agrees to meet with Booth and Brennen as soon as possible. Seely wanted as much background information as he could get before notifying the parents of their son's death. Camille Saroyan enters Dr Brennen's office and folds her arms across her chest, Booth looks up at her with a raised eyebrow.  

"What's up?" Booth asks her. 

"I've just tried to access Dale Brewster's medical file, but the server keeps crashing." She explains. "Without using that file or asking the patents, I don't know who his health care provider was. I'll keep trying, but all the hospitals and clinics in the area are in the same boat. No one can get into the server."

He listens, thinking already. "It's fine, thanks for trying. I'll just have to ask the parents." He says and stands up. "So Dale Brewster showed sighs of long term malnutrition and physical abuse?" 

"Yes, he did." Cam answers and Dr Brennen agrees. "Four years old and had to go through such  pain. It's horrible, really horrible."

"Dale Brewster would have been in a chronic state of physical and mental pain that would have impacted his day to day functions." Dr Brennen adds. "His parents would have noticed the change in Dale's mental and physical states." 

"So the parents would have noticed the change in their kid and then ignored it?" He wonders out loud. "I want to talk to the parents, yesterday. Come on, Bones." 

Brennen follows Booth out to the car and slides her travel bag onto the back seat, then sets her briefcase down in the foot well. She slips into the passenger seat and turns to her partner, concerned but changes her mind when she sees the hardened look in his eyes. She doesn't bring up the subject of his own childhood and how it has obviously been brought up by the current case. Brennen doesn't want to push Booth further into his silence and darkened thoughts. 

The Brewster's family home is something that Brennen hadn't been expecting. She surveys the house carefully, taking in it's imperfections and there are a lot of those. The chain link fence separates the concrete sidewalk from the muddied dirt and grass, trash strewn across from one end to the other. Behind the yard is the Brewster's home, a house that is worn and tired with a broken drainpipe and net curtains in the windows, the building collapsing in sadness. Temperence frowns as they go to the door, once solid but is now full of rotten cracks and flaking paint. Booth knocks on the door and it should sound solid, but it sounds hollow and filled with decay. A man in his thirties with greasy hair and a pot belly that is barely coated by his tight t-shirt answers the door, a face full of stubble and a roll up clenched between his nicotine stained teeth. 

"Who are ya and what do ya want?" The man growls, glaring at the two individuals on the doorstep.  

"I'm special agent Seely Booth with the FBI and this is Dr Temperence Brennen from the Jeffersonian." Booth says pleasantly. "I need to see Mr and Mrs Brewster......it's about their son." 

Temperence follows Booth as they are invited into the Brewster home and digests her surroundings. The hallway is a dirty cream with smudges and marks over the walls, the carpet patched up with duck tape and is cramped with all the piles of boxes and pile of jackets on the floor. The sitting room isn't any better, the sofa and armchair a worn mismatch that has been reupholstered to within an inch of it's life, obvious holes and sticky stains in the carpet. There shelves as cluttered and thick with dust, broken toys scattered and strewn. Brennen watches the man as he throws himself into the armchair and picks up a smouldering cigarette. 

"The name's Raymond." The man says gruffly. "What do ya want with Mandy and me?" 

"Is your wife here, Mr Brewster?" Booth asks and uses his hands in a relaxed and open gesture. "It's important that we talk to you both."

"She's upstairs, laundry." He says with no further explanation and seems to realise that they aren't going to go away without talking to them both. "I'll get her then." 

Brennen doesn't like the man and feels her skin crawling as she sits on the dirty sofa, waiting. She glances around the sitting room and cringes, mentally listing all the bacteria that is ingrained on every surface. Booth's eyebrows dart upwards as if reading her mind and agreeing with her about the state of the house. A few minutes later, Raymond comes back downstairs with Mandy in tow. She is on the heavy side with badly fitting clothes that emphasises her build, dark curly hair scraped back out of her face. She is anxious, her eyes darting between the two guests who are sitting on her sofa. She is worried, very worried. 

"Mrs Brewster, I'm special agent Seely Booth and this is Dr Temperence Brennen from the Jeffersonian." Booth says softly and before he has a chance to finish, Mandy has jumped in. 

"Is it Dale? Please tell me you've found Dale." The mother pleads. "Please..." 

"Mrs Brewster, today remains were found and they have been positively identified as Dale's, I'm very sorry." He tells the parents compassionately and makes sure they understand what he is saying.  

Temperence is impressed with how compassionate Booth is with the parents and finds a tissue in her purse to give to the devastated mother. Death is inevitable and yet still it surprises people with time and manner. The FBI agent gives the couple some time to process they had just been told. 

"Why....why would...somsons do....do that?" Mandy Brewster cries. "Why would some do that?!" 

"Right now I don't know, but I promise that I will find whoever did this and make sure they never get out of prison again." Seely understands. "But to find whoever did this, I need to have all the facts. I have some questions that I need to ask which could help track down the person who killed your son. Do you understand?" 

Two cooperative nods in response and Booth takes that as his permission to go ahead with his questions. 

"I know the original investigators have asked these kinds of questions already, but sometimes we forget small details and they come back to us over time." He says first, explaining why he is going to be going over some of the basics. "What kind of baby was Dale?" 

"Dale had been a complete surprise to us when I fell pregnant and even as he grew I loved him more and more." Mandy sniffles. "He was a good baby and a good eater, but he didn't need much sleep. The doctor said it was an upset tummy that was the problem, excess acid or something. Sorry, I'm rambling on and this isn't what you want to hear. Dale was a good baby, a good baby and....I'll never see him again. I always hoped that someone would find him and bring him home to us. Excuse me.....I need a moment." 

Booth nods as Mandy Brewster leaves the sitting room, devastated at the news and realisation that her baby isn't coming back. He waits for her to return and starts again and goes on for ten to fifteen minutes. The conversation then turns to the day that Dale was abducted and Booth asks the parents to go over everything again in detail, stopping them to ask questions, taking down notes. The memories are understandably painful, but they are bearing all to help the authorities to catch their son's abductor and killer. For the next set of questions, Booth and Brennen have to tread carefully. 

 "When a child goes missing or is found in these circumstances, we ask for all information to be accessible to us during the investigation. Dale attended the Little Sprouts day care centre, is that right?" The agent asks casually. 

Mandy sniffles into a tissue. "Dale loved going there. He used to give me my car keys and telling me to hurry up. He got so mad when it was closed for teacher training." 

"What was his teacher like?" Seely asks. 

"Mrs Paterson loved Dale and he loved her. When I first took him to daycare, he was unsettled and wouldn't let me go when I tried to leave  and he just cried and cried. But Mrs Paterson gained his trust and he went with her." Mandy Brewster recalls, emotional as she has to say her son's name and remember what he was like. "He used to follow her everywhere she went."

"Sounds like Dale trusted her and felt safe with her." The agent observe. "Did Dale have any problems or health problems?" 

Mandy shakes her head, composing herself. "No, Dale was happy and healthy. He had his fair share of bumps, like the time he ran into the coffee table or fell over his shoelaces. No, there was nothing apart from his clumsiness." 

"That's interesting because Dr Brennen found injuries to the bone that would need resetting or some kind of medical attention." Booth says, looking both parents in the eyes. 

"I told you this would happen." Mandy snaps at her husband and hides her face for a minute. "I told you that.....that woman would accuse us of something. She always thought we had something to do with it." 

Raymond forces his wife to sit down and takes her hand, but she just pulls away from him and goes into the kitchen. The husband shakes his head, pinching his nose and then he looks up. Booth and Brennen have seen similar exchanges happen before, but are a little confused as to why Mandy Brewster wants to get away.

"I'm sorry, we've been under so much stress since Dale went missing." Raymond says to them. "She never once wanted to believe that....Dale wouldn't be coming back to us. It's just the confirmation that we've needed. I never wanted to admit it either." 

"Mr Brewster, I understand how you and your wife are feeling at this time, but I have to ask you what your wife meant about this accusation against you." Booth says calmly. "I have to ask you what your wife meant by that." 

"She thought we were hurting Dale." Raymond says finally. "She used to accuse us every time Dale would show up with a bruise or a scratch, then she would say it was her duty. She sent those damn child protection services on us." 

"By she, you refer to Mrs Paterson the day care teacher?" Brennen asks. 

"Yeah, Mrs Paterson. She....she hated us. She used to ask us to stay behind and talk about Dale, but there were always accusations." He tells Booth and Brennen.

"Did Mrs Paterson ever come straight out and say she believed you were hurting Dale?" Seely asks.

"Not in so many words, no. Everything was cloak and dagger with her." The grieving father answers, his voice steeped in bitterness. "But we knew it was her when those....child protection services people came to our door." 

"And once the CPS official investigated the claims, presumably by Mrs Paterson, what was the findings?" Booth asks.

"There was no need for them to be looking into our family in the first place, even that official said so. She said it had all been a waste of her time and thanked us for being so open about our family life." Raymond says. "Now if there's anything else, I need to calm Mandy down and give her a sedative to help her rest. I'll see you out." 

Booth and Brennen survey the neighbourhood as they walk back to the car and Booth is surprised to see a text from Dr Saroyan, asking him to call her once he's gotten the message. Brennen also has the same message, so Booth puts his cell on speaker. 

"Hey Cam, what's up?" Booth asks her as he drives. 

"I don't know if you're going to like this or not, but I've requested Dale Brewster's medical records and they support the injuries that were treated." Dr Saroyan explains. "He broke his arm when he fell over, broke his wrist learning to ride a bike-" 

"Pretty common injuries for a kid, right?" He asks her. 

"Normally I would agree, but i'm looking at the original x-rays that the hospital took and there is no way these falls would have fractured the bone where it did or how it did." Cam answers honestly. "I'll also get Dr Brennen to look over the x-rays when she gets back." 

"What are you trying to imply here, Cam?" Booth asks.

"Dr Saroyan feels that the x-rays suggest that Dale Brewster didn't suffer these injuries as his parents explained." Temperence explains slowly. 

"So you're saying that Dale Brewster wa-" Booth starts to say, trying I comprehend everything that has just happened.  

"Yes. Dale Brewster was systematically and regularly physically assaulted." Temperence confirms. "I would however still review the x-rays from the medical files and see if there is anything else we've missed." 

Booth reluctantly agrees to sit in Dr Brennen's office while she and Dr Saroyan confer over the remains of the dead child. They agree that over a short period of time that the child had suffered very vicious attacks and in some cases, he had been taken to the emergency room for treatment, but even the ER'S doctors hadn't appeared to be interested and   
had allowed Dale Brewster to go home without anyone knowing the full truth of what had happened.  Seely is growing impatient as he walks around Temperence's spacious office and studies the African masks on the wall. She has a weird and wonderful collection of unique objects from her travels oversees, tracking down ancient remains and exploring their final resting place and telling their story of their lives. Booth puts the mask back onto the  wall and turns to Brennen and Saroyan. 

"And?" Booth asks. 

"There's no easy way of saying this, but Dale Brewster was definitely a victim of a series of assaults at such a young age." Cam says quietly. "Only a small handful of these injuries were ever medically treated and the rest were allowed to heal incorrectly on their own. I'm amazed that the parents didn't get him treatment and the injuries would have shown that, even if they had used false name's at the clinics or hospitals." 

Seely rubs his forehead and sighs as Camille reads out the doctor's notes from the emergency room in the cases that Dale Brewster was medically treated. A broken arm, several broken ribs that happened all at the same time, a head injury that needed stitches, a fractured wrist and abdominal bruising that was found when Dale was admitted with severe gastroenteritis. The doctor had noticed the extreme tenderness admitted and examined the child, seeing the bruising and sent him for scans to make sure there was no internal injuries that could cause lasting damage or serous complications.  However the doctor clearly hadn't been convinced by the parents excuse about the stomach bruising and then pressed further about the broken arm.

"What was the parents excuse for the broken arm and the bruising?" Booth asks, chewing on the end of his pen. "It must have been a great excuse for them not to call in CPS when they were in the waiting room." 

"They told the doctor that he had fallen down the stairs, which is possible but that was according to the doctor. The bone was broken the opposite way of the actual break." Dr Saroyan says as she shows Dr Brennen and Booth the x-rays, which Brennen agrees with the the ER doctor's diagnosis. "But something had to have made the doctor change his mind about reporting it to CPS." 

"Believable story, but I'm not buying it." Booth muses. 

"Certainly with analysis of the injuries and factoring in the alleged method of injury, it would be very unlikely that the bone could break that way just like you said, Dr Saroyan." Temperence cuts in and takes the extended file from Dr Saroyan. "Dr Wickham believed that the parents were evasive and unpleasant during the examinations between himself and Dale when either parent was present." 

"The doctor suspects they hurt the kid and he does nothing?" Booth asks in bewilderment. 

"We need to find out exactly what was said by the Brewster's to Dr Wickham." Brennen cuts in. 

"And the daycare teacher." The FBI agent says out loud. "Okay, we'll start with the teacher and then move up to the doctor while they run checks on the both of them." 

 

Brenda Paterson is in her mid fifties and has been teaching since she qualified at the age of twenty-three. She is married, her husband a chef at the Rosemont hotel. Together they have four children who are now adults and they live in a house that is completely paid off. On paper they are sensible, respectable people but Booth knows not to just go on face value and is eager to talk to the day care teacher who suspected that Dale Brewster was being abused by his parents. When Booth originally called Brenda Paterson, she was very keen to help in whatever way she could, including cancelling a hair appointment and a few other things once the children had left for the day. Booth and Brennen are shown into Mrs Paterson's room and while they wait, they go over what they have learned so far with the case which isn't much. The walls are brightly decorated with familiar childhood staples, murals and even messy drawings which are mostly scribbles on paper. The room is a typical day care centre, some bean bags in the corner for story time, tables with crayons in boxes and education tools everywhere. The centre is more like a preschool induction as well as a daycare facility. Dr Brennen is impressed, very impressed. She had expected it to be like a day care facility that is simply just toys and nap time, but she had been so wrong. Brenda Paterson comes into her room with a tray of coffee and some small cupcakes. 

"Please help yourself to coffee and cake." She says brightly. "My group made them before they left and these are the spares, just in case." 

"Mrs Paterson, thank you for seeing us so quickly. I understand that you had plans." Booth says warmly and takes a cup of coffee. "We really appreciate you talking to us. This is Dr Brennen from the Jeffersonian, she's consulting on Dale's case and is also my partner."

"I've heard so much about you, Dr Brennen." Brenda says with a smile, genuinely pleased. "My son is an addiction nurse over at the Washington State Penitentiary   and is studying to be a certified counselor. He spends hours reading your books and won't put it down."

"That's a wonderful compliment, Mrs Paterson. Tell your son that I most enjoy hearing about readers who appreciate well written work." Brennen says with a smile. 

"Mrs Paterson, what can you tell us about Dale Brewster?" Booth asks.

"Dale was a lovely little boy who loved arts and crafts, playing games with the other children. He was a typical child, got dirty outside and was fascinated with bugs." She says softly, a sad smile. "But I knew something was going on at home." 

"What do you mean by you knew something was going on at home?" He asks her. 

"Dale wasn't a clean child, Agent Booth. He always smelled badly and unclean, wore old dirty clothes and at snack time was always guarding his food like someone was going to take it away." Brenda explains. "But his physical appearance worsened and even his moods changed. He turned from this happy little boy to being completely withdrawn, along with his physical appearence and hygiene. It was like a different Dale was left with us.

"What kind of changes did you see Dale go through, Mrs Paterson?" Seely asks. "Did you try and get him to talk and about what was going on at home?" 

"It took a long time for Dale to trust me in a one on one setting and I asked him why he was so sad and he said he couldn't tell me because his mom and dad would be mad at him." She recounts the conversation in her head, tearing up. "I asked him why would his mom and dad be mad at him for telling me and....Dale told me his mom would get upset and punish him. He said that she would hurt him until he said he was sorry. By this time other parents were also concerned and I was instructed by the head of the centre to let it go for now."

"Why would a responsible adult, who is charged with the duty of care tell someone to simply not pursue an accusation of neglect and abuse by parents?" Temperence butts in, clearly horrified by the instruction. 

"I agree with you, Dr Brennen and so did the head of the centre, but she has processes to follow and this was one of them." The older woman says quietly. "In cases of suspected neglect and abuse, we are to gain the confidence of the child to get as much n formation as possible. We are told to get more proof." 

"I understand the necessity to gather evidence on such a subject, but any child in question shouldn't have to be subjected to the policies that are more or less protecting the person responsible than the victim." Brennen argues.

Brenda Paterson simply nods in agreement, so Booth so takes over the line of questioning. 

"Did you ever get the proof that you needed to pursue the concern?" Agent Booth asks.

"Eventually, yes. It took several more months of black eyes, cut lips and bruises over his body." Paterson suddenly gets up to her filing cabinet and hands them a thick file. "These are documented injuries that was inflicted upon Dale. I even videotaped mine and Dale's conversations so there would be real proof of us talking together." 

"During these talks with Dale did he say anything about how difficult things were at home?' He asks the daycare assistant. 

"A few times, yes. He told me that his mom sometimes would put him to bed without dinner or supper, hit him when she believed he was being bad. Sometimes he would come in like he was carrying the weight of he world on his shoulders." She says quietly, clearly upset thinking about the little boy and what he went through. 

"Did Dale ever tell you that he was being hurt by his mother?" Booth asks gently. 

"Once. I asked Dale once if anyone was hurting him and he said he couldn't tell me. I pushed a little harder and he told me that his mommy really hurt him." She swallows hard. "Then he clammed up and wouldn't talk about it. I tried to bring it up again, but Dale was so upset about it so I decided that it was best not to push for more details from Dale and I called Child Protection services."

"Mrs Paterson, do you have the name of the person who was assigned to the investigation?" He asks the teacher. "And do you remember what was said about your concerns?" 

Brenda Paterson goes to her desk that is in the corner of the room and pulls out a file folder and hands it to the FBI agent. Booth looks through it and looks up to the older woman. 

"You photographed and catalogued Dale's injuries?" Booth asks her to clarify. "Complete with CPS letters back and forth, you writing to them with your concerns and the replies. There's a page here that says you visited the officer in charge, a Christina Langley?"

"Yes, I wasn't happy with the letters that Ms Langley was sending out so I arranged an appointment with her." Brenda explains softly. "I was told that I was looking for ghosts that weren't there and that she had thoroughly investigated Dale's home life and parents, and found nothing to support my concerns that Dale was abused." 

Booth is reading the reports and also looking at the photographs that Paterson had taken. He hands the file to Brennen and looks back to the older woman. 

"Mrs Paterson, what did Ms Langley say about these photographs that you took as evidence of injury to Dale?" Seely wonders, scratching his chin.

"She said that the photographs weren't tangible evidence to support a theory of abuse, exactly like that. That's how she said it, a theory of abuse." Brenda wipes her eyes and sniffles. "I don't understand how anyone can do anything like that to a child. I'm praying that you find whoever did this to Dale. Please find out what happened to that sweet boy."


	3. The Lost Boy chapter three

The interview with Brenda Paterson had given an insight into Dale Brewster's behaviour in the weeks before he disappeared. Dale had been cheery and content, truly happy as he played with the other children and took part in every activity. Mrs Paterson told investigators that Dale was very bright, had a cheeky aurora that melted everyone's hearts and then he seemed to have changed overnight. He had become withdrawn and miserable, but eventually got some answers from the  teacher who had called the child protection services out of concern for Dale and she had assured the day care centre that there was no cause for concern where the Brewster's are concerned. 

 

Dr Brennen scribbles down notes from the interview with Brenda Paterson and manages to find the number for the family doctor through Dr Saroyan. She is pleased with herself and notices that Booth is using the small computer that is in the middle of the console while driving. 

"Booth, what are you doing?" She asks him.

"What do you mean what am I doing?" He shoots back. 

"You're diving and you're also preoccupied on the computer. You're losing concentration on driving and focusing on the computer, which I may add is moronic and dangerous." She explains. "I won't have you risk our lives or anyone else's by your attempt to multitask." 

"It's fine, I do it all the time." Booth shrugs.

"Just because you do it all the time doesn't make you invincible, Booth. Statistics show that thirty-three percent of driving accidents were caused by the drivers who were distracted." Brennen argues. "And ninety two percent of that thirty three percent were serious injuries or deaths, again caused by drivers being distracted while at the wheel of the car."

"Bones, I can't concentrate on driving when you're spouting off facts and statistics." He says impatiently, huffing. "And I can't concentrate on what I'm searching for when you're lecturing me either. The FBI wouldnt install these computers in the cars if they didn't think it was safe, hm? Exactly."

"Okay, you win." She sighs. "But I strongly insist that while you are driving I operate the computer. Do we have a deal?" 

"Yeah, I guess so." He relents finally and sighs. "Okay, so click on the indnification record and type in Christina Langley. I want to check her out before we go talk to her."

Brennen does as she is asked and can feel Booth glancing over at her every so often as she waits for the computer to retrieve the information they have requested. She hates being watched and having someone look over her shoulder and feels much more comfortable when the page on the screen loads, a photograph and next to it listing her name, date of birth and current address. Further down is a very detailed timeline of education, jobs and personal relationships, then onto criminal record and connections to anything criminal.  

"Christina Langley, forty-three years old and divorced with no children." Brennen reads from the screen. "What else are you looking for, Booth?" 

"Criminal connections and if she was ever looked at before in an investigation." He replies. "Complete background check."

"It says here that she has had three parking tickets and was involved in an assault at a bar seven months ago." Temperence reads and is quickly cut off by Booth.

"It doesn't make sense that she would risk her career over a drunken bar fight." He says. 

"Let me finish." She retorts impatiently. "It says here that even once the responding officers got there, she was insistent that she was going to confront the other person involved." 

"Does it say who the other person is?" He wonders, still driving. 

"Monica Barr." Brennen finally replies. "There's no mention or indication of what the disagreement was about. Is that unusual for facts to be missed out in the report?" 

"PD cops attend dozens of domestic calls every week and two women fighting in a bar wouldn't have been any different to any other call." He explains. "Unless they arrest someone, they don't get the details. They were called out to two women fighting, split them up and spoke to them, then sent them home and case closed. The only reason we know about that night is because their details were entered into the system." 

"I thought only the details of the arrested individuals were entered into the national police database?" Brennen queries.

"Even if you aren't arrested your details are entered in. Say you're a witness to a crime or you've simply called up for advice, it's logged and creates a paper trail on the database." Seely pulls into a gas station and fills up the tank. 

Temperence glances around the forecourt and waits for Booth to return to the car and when he does, he tells her that he has spoken to Christina Langley's boss has given then permission for an unscheduled interview to speak to Langley to discuss the Dale Brewster case. On the ride to the office building, the agent is quiet and Temperence notices his slight change in demeanour and calls her colleagues at the lab to see what progress was being made. She speaks to Dr Hodgins first as his examination of the particulates from the grave site has been completed. 

"The soil in and around the remains have fibers from clothing which have been matched to denim and fibres of cotton, the make and shades of colour support what the kid was wearing when he went missing." Jack Hodgins explains his findings with enthusiasm. "All stages of insect activity is present so the kid was buried anywhere after one hour of death. I put it in laymens terms for Agent Booth since he gets bored with all the science talk." 

She ends the call and reads through the report that Christina Langley had written to her supervisor and takes notes as she reads and turns the pages. Temperence isn't sure what to make of the report since Langley's observations didn't match her anthropological findings in Dale's remains. The two pieces of the puzzle don't fit and neither Booth or Brennen are satisfied with the explanations for the injuries that were treated by medical professionals, especially since some of the reasons would be a physical and scientific impossibility for the action to happen and then the injury to be sustained. Booth laughs and tells his partner that he knew her brains would come in handy, which she scolds him for and then they ride in silence. Floor three is the investigation unit and they are met by a woman who leads them past cubicle style offices that are cramped and into the main office at the back of the room. The woman apologises and tells them that the investigation supervisor wants to talk to the agent before they talk to Langley. The supervisor is Harry Shepherd, a man in his fifties with a naturally rosy complection, a bad comb over and a pot belly that strains against his shirt. Booth shows the man his badge and introduces Brennen, but he still doesn't know why he's here talking to Shepherd. For the first ten minutes Booth and Brennen are bombarded with seminar quotations and fact, being spoken at and not too. So Booth switches things around to force the issue of their visit.  

"Mr Shepherd, as you know we are investigating a child's abduction and murder, so we don't need a biography about the CPS. We're here to talk to Christina Langley." Seely says, sounding almost pissed off. "So it would be great if you could go get her."

Flustered, Shepherd answers in a bluster. "I...she...she can't discuss previous or present cases without a warrant, Agent Booth. You should know that."

"Mr Shepherd, you're impeding on an active homicide investigation which is a federal offense." Booth makes him aware of exactly where the land lies and takes paperwork from his pocket and places it on the desk. "This is your warrant. We need the Brewster files, all of them and to interview Christina Langley." 

"And if I choose not to accept your terms?" The older of the two men says.

"Then I'll have the same judge issue a warrant for your arrest and the federal prosecutor would love locking you up for five years." The agent replies. "And the media would love the story of how a CPS officer got in the way of an investigation that involved a child's abduction and murder." 

Brennen watches and listens and is impressed by what she has just seen. Booth is Shepherd's best friend and worst enemy, his demise and saviour all in one. The supervisor eventually buzzes for his secretary and demands the Brewster files and to summon Christina Langley and once she is there, he insists he sits in on the interview. The agent reluctantly agrees, but only to see what the supervisors plan is by blocking them from Langley. Agent Booth tells Shepherd that he wants to read the files first before interviewing Christina and the investigator looks to her boss for help and reassurence. They can't argue with Booth and accept the proposal of returning to the office in an hour, so Booth and Brennen make use of the coffee shop down the street. They order and begin reading and dissecting the files, Booth asking for explanations, Brennen explaining. They talk about everything they have learned from Dale's remains, medical files and now the CPS files and share their theories before returning to Shepherd's office.

Christina Langley is in her early thirties with a narrow chin and angular cheekbones set on a egg shaped face, framed by a dyed blonde bob. She is casually dressed, but is still classy and professional in a powder blue skirt suit and a baby pink blouse. She wears very little make-up and compensates in chains beneath her shirt and expensive rings on her fingers, but was missing a wedding ring or engagement ring. Booth decides to lull her into a false sense of security and asks her some questions about herself, what made her want to be involved in children's welfare and where she grew up. Of course he knew all of this, but he wanted to hear it for himself. 

"You heard that Dale Brewster's remains were discovered?" Booth asks her.  

"I heard it in the deli down the street. People were talking about it and I checked online to make sure it was the same case." She says, then adds. "We do have several Dale Brewster's living in the state but when I saw the photograph on the screen, I was disappointed. No child should be subjected to such a horrible thing."

'"What was Dale like when you spoke to him?" He continues. 

"I'm sure you would have read the transcripts and listened to the recording,  but Dale was a sweet boy.  He was very kind." Langley says. "He really was such a nice little boy." 

"Ms Langley, the file says that the day care teacher was the one who raised concerns about Dale. What did Mrs Patterson say?" Booth wonders out loud. 

"Mrs Paterson's concerns were that Dale wasn't being cared for properly at home." She answers and looks to her supervisor. "I'm sorry, but I really do find this strange since the details are in the file." 

"Ms Langley, I'm sure you can appreciate that Agent Booth's questions may seem fruitless, but a small child was abducted and murdered. This same child showed physical markers of prolonged physical assaults and malnutrition. This same child's safety was thrown into question after his day care teacher found bruises on Dale Brewster's body." Dr Brennen says and meets the other woman's eyes. 

"You owe it to Dale to answer my questions." Booth presses. "What were the explanations for Dale's bruises?" 

"As with any child of that age they tend to be clumsy around the house or playing. Mrs Paterson was convinced Dale was being hurt at home by someone." Christina says eventually. "I met with the Brewster's in their home and did an evaluation. I took into account of what the medical records said and what the parents said. The Brewster's loved their son and would do anything for him. They were actually shocked to be accused of hurting their own son." 

"Yeah, I would be too." The FBI agent sighs. "But Mrs Paterson has been a teacher for a long time and I can't see her calling in CPS for a few normal occurrence bruises from playing. It says here in the file that she took photographs of Dale's injuries, sent you a copy and kept one for herself. What did you think when you saw them? We've seen them too so we could compare notes."

Christina Langley sighs. "At first glance it does appear that some of Dale's bruising was caused by physical interaction, but I can't rule that a child is being abused by it's parents until I have future evidence." She reminds the agent and looks at the time, hoping this wouldn't  take long. 

"Did you get Dale checked out by a doctor?" The agent asks quickly and continues as the investigator nods. "What did the doctor uncover?"

"Every child is examined automatically when we become involved." She then goes on to describe injuries, ones that had been treated and healed. "Is there anything else?" 

"Yes, there is." Dr Brennen answers. "I would like to re-examine the x-rays that were taken during your investigation." 

The two CPS personnel look almost shocked and offended and as expected, it's Harry Shepherd who is defensive while Christina Langley who looks offended by Dr Brennen's request. 

"Dr Brennen, I can personally assure you that there is no need to review the Brewster boy's x-rays. The physical injuries that were presented with justifiable reasons were recorded and treated by a doctor." Shepherd huffs. "It would be a complete waste of your time." 

"Mr Shepherd, I would appreciate it if  you didn't tell me how to do my job, which has taken me many years to accomplish myself to this level." Temperence argues and Shepherd's face sours. "You will find no other forensic anthropologist with my level of skills or knowledge." 

Booth hides a smile and leans forward. "Is there a problem with realising the x-rays to us even with a warrant." 

"No, there isn't." The supervisor grumbles. "But I can promise you that this is a complete waste of your time and my tax dollars." 

Harry Shepherd leaves the room to retrieve the Brewster files from the archives and Booth jumps on the fact that the investigating officer has gone deathly quiet following the conversation. Seely glances with Temperence for a second and focuses on Langley. 

"There's something I'm missing here." He says suddenly. "Maybe you can tell me what it is since you've gone quiet." 

"There's nothing to tell, Agent Booth. Everything is in my report, including the assessments on the parents and close family. I even took into consideration the Brewster family home." She answers sharply. "Regardless of the family home it was obvious that Dale was loved." 

Booth rubs his chin. "Hm, let me ask you this. What was your opinion of Raymond and Mandy Brewster?" 

"I don't like your insinuations and neither would the Brewster family." She snaps and folds her arms across her chest. "I don't know what it is you want me to say and like I've already said, everything is in my report."

"I just want the truth, Ms Langley. I want the truth for Dale who was clearly abused by someone from a young child, who was abducted and murder. I want the truth for the family who kept wondering what had happened to their kid and now they have to deal with this." Booth stands up as Shepherd returns with the box of files. "If you can think of anything else, please call me." 

 

Absorbing information, especially large quantities of information that was neither proved or disproved to be valuable or invaluable is difficult. It's like a complicated jigsaw of jelly beans or baked beans, frustrating and time consuming to weed out what is important and what isn't. Booth had gone back to the FBI headquarters while Dr Brennen returned to the Jeffersonian with Dale Brewster's x-rays. On the drive there she thought of different cases that she has been a part of that involved remains that had been systematically abused in their lives. She recalls one case very clearly, one that she would rather forget. She had been asked to be part of a team that would exhume a mass grave in Sierra Leone and it was her role to uncover what had happened to them and who they were if possible. For days she examined remains and rearticulated skeletons until they were complete, or near enough complete to the begin an in depth examination. Temperence Brennen had always prided herself in being able to detach herself from her work, especially the cases that had upsetting histories, but on this occasion she was unable to stop thinking about what lay in front of her. The remains of three children were side by side on gurney's, their bones brown by the layer of soil that had covered them in their grave and she felt a stab of anger as she recorded the perimortem, antemortem, postmortem injuries. She was sadly amazed at the antimortem injuries and after several days with each set of remains, uncovered the cause of death for each victim. All three children had been beaten and tortured, one of them having their shins hacked with what is consistent to the blade of a machete and another child stabbed multiple times a long thin circular object, consistent with a skewer. Eventually, all three children were executed with a gunshot to the head and thrown into a ditch that had become a mass grave. The authorities could never prove who massacred the village and it made it much more difficult because there were no survivors to step forward and tell their story. The remains were all buried in a grave with a stone cross, carved into the stone was the village's name and the date of the massacre that took so many lives. The killers and people responsible never were found and the innocent victim's would never be given justice. The exhumation had taken a total of nine weeks and the experts in their fields returned home to their normal every day lives, but Dr Brennen was still haunted. She had given those three children faces and she had recurring nightmares about them, what they went through and how it happened but then her imagination was running wild and those dreams mentally tortured her with scenes of dying children, rotting corpses and the hundreds of arms that were dragging her into their grave and then she was suddenly in the pit with the dead and dirt covered her head and choked her. It took months for the nightmares to stop and then she finally started to see aspects of her personal life differently. 

Temperence is standing in front of the light box with two sets of x-rays in front of her, the one on the left being Dale Brewster's last medical check up and the right is the one she had taken when the remains arrived. She is reading a file when her best friend and colleague Angela Montenegro enters the brightly lit room. 

"Hi sweetie, I thought I would still find you here." Angela says brightly. "We're going down to tell Founding Father's for a drink and it won't be a team effort if you're not there." 

"I'm in the middle of something, so I'll join you later." She says simply. 

"Uh uh." Angela says, unimpressed. "You say that, then you won't because you've uncovered something big. I'm not going without you, sweetie." 

Brennen knows that she won't be let off the hook that easy is ready to call it quits, but after one last look at the x-rays. Then it hits her. 

"I need to call Booth." Is all she says as she frantically reaches for her cell phone. 

"Honey, what's wrong?" The artist asks and Brennen stops in front of her. "What's wrong?" 

"These x-rays aren't Dale Brewster's, Angela. The characteristic markers on the x-rays I took are different from the set that was taken by the doctor for the CPS." She is excited and can't get hold of Booth, so she leaves a message. "The x-rays that were taken at the time of the treated injuries are identical to the characteristics of the x-rays I took."

"So what does that mean?" Angela asks, very confused by what she has just head. 

"It means that someone erased the details on the x-rays from the  CPS and put Dale Brewster's name on a set of x-rays that don't belong to him." She explains. 

"But the breaks are identical, Brennen." She points out. 

"The healed fractures are in the same place, but one clavicle is longer than the other." Dr Brennen says as she turns to her friend. "The x-ray that the doctor at the CPS took doesn't belong to Dale Brewster."


	4. The Lost Boy chapter 4

Camille Saroyan's feet are killing her and she blames the heels she is wearing and wishes she had stuck to the flat loafers that were far more comfortable to stand in for hours at a time. She also has a headache that has been brought on by frustration and grumbles under her breath as she goes in search of Dr Brennen to see what she has found. She is in no mood for games and is thankful that Brennen is straight forward compared to Hodgins or Zack Addy. She hobbles into the room and leans against one of the units in a desperate bid to take the pressure off her feet. 

"Dr Brennen, you said you had something you wanted me to look at." Camille announces. 

"That's correct, Dr Saroyan. I would like your professional opinion on these two sets of x-rays and what they have in common versus what they don't have in common." Brennen says. 

Sighing, she quietly studies both x-rays and even hobbles closer. Several times she points out almost identical injuries on the x-ray one to x-ray two. 

"These remains belong to a child who was beaten on a regular basis." Saroyan says a little lost for words. 

"That is also my prognosis, but what I found is that these two x-rays that are supposed to belong to Dale Brewster simply don't." Temperence announces and her boss's face fixes on the light boards. "It is evident in the measurement of clavicle that these two x-rays belong to two different people. The one that was taken by the doctor for the CPS has a very serious illness." 

"What's that?" Miss Montenegro asks, confused by all the medical talk. 

"The other child had multiple sclerosis." Dr Saroyan cuts in. "No one has noticed the density of the bone and the drastic bone loss of this boy." 

"Wait a second, you're saying that someone forged a set of x-rays to pretend it was Dale Brewster?" Angela asks in disbelief. "But why would someone do that? It just seems kind of random that it could be misidentified."

"Correct. That's exactly what I'm stating and the only way we can find out that answer is by finding the person who has altered the records." The anthropologist says. "Do you agree with that diagnosis, Dr Saroyan." 

Cam had been quiet and had reviewed the case file and had been standing studying the two images on the light box. She looks up and looks like a deer caught in the headlights and looks back to the two x-rays. 

"Yes, I agree with your diagnosis Dr Brennen. Someone altered the personal information on the second x-ray and used it as Dale Brewster's in an investigation." She answers. "I'll find the name of the doctor in the file that did the physical examination for the CPS." 

Brennen nods and leaves the room to inform Booth of their latest discovery and promises Angela that she will meet her later at the Founding Father's for a drink. Even Cam, Zack and Hodgins agreed to the after work drinks and it's only to dull their own feelings about the case. Brennen of course doesn't see or feel the need to dull her senses, especially since she doesn't allow her emotions to cloud her judgement. Booth is disgusted by what has happened and with Cam's help, tracks down the doctor who examined Dale Brewster and arranges to meet with him the next morning. 

 

Dr Keith Driscoll has worked with the Child protection services for nine years and has been a registered pediatrion for over six years. He left his role at the hospital for undisclosed reasons and the CPS saw him as an asset to their team, so there that stage of his career began. Booth had naturally done some checking up on Dr Driscoll and was unamused to find that certain parts of his record were unobtainable or deleted from computer databases, so he makes a note to ask the doctor why the information wasn't available. Keith Driscoll is almost fifty, slim built with a head of tight curled salt and pepper hair and a greying moustache that is limp on his upper lip. His attire is flawless under the white lab coat, an old habit from his pediatrion days Dr Brennen  concludes. Driscoll is charming and gushes over Temperence Brennen and asks her to sign one of his books and then fires questions at her about her previous novels, current novel and future novels, even touching the subject of her anthropological work abroad. Booth cuts the fan-girling short and gets straight down to business. 

"Dr Driscoll, do you remember Dale Brewster?" Booth asks abruptly. 

"Agent Booth, I have seen hundreds of patients over my career and remembering one case by a single name is almost impossible." The doctor answers. "I'm afraid I need you to be more specific." 

"This is Dale Brewster." Booth says as he slides a photograph across the desk and gauges Driscoll's reaction. "Do you remember now?"

Keith Driscoll's eyes fall to the picture that is slid across his desk and he frowns. He vaguely remembers the boy or the case and tells the agent and fellow doctor that he simply doesn't remember. But Booth suspects that the man across the desk doesn't want to remember the details. 

"Let me get the Brewster files." Driscoll says grudgingly and goes to the filing cabinets and pulls out a very thin file and quickly reads through it, then hands it to Booth. "I remember very little from the case, except that I didn't find any medical evidence supporting the claims of abuse." 

"What were your medical findings during your examination, Dr Driscoll?" Temperence asks. 

"I'll be honest, there wasn't much to find. Dale Brewster was a very happy and healthy child and his parents doted on him." The doctor explains. "I was troubled to see Dale's abduction on the news and I can't possibly imagine what the family were going through. It must have been horrendous to not know what happened to their son."

"Dr Driscoll, I'm confused with your report that was submitted to child protective services." Dr Brennen begins to say and is suddenly cut off. 

"What is it you're confused about, Dr Brennen?" The other doctor asks. "My report was perfectly clear that the accusations against the Brewster's were unfounded medically and untrue. My report is in the file." 

Booth casts a glance at his partner and nods for her to continue and the good doctor Driscoll isn't going to like coming head to head with Bones. 

"What is obscured is your section in the report that states that Dale Brewster was a healthy child, a few well documented Injuries that were treated at the ER." She begins and keeps pressing. "The x-rays that were ordered by you show that Dale Brewster only had these documented injuries, but the x-rays of the remains after death show differences from those x-rays you presented to the CPS."

Driscoll's eyes narrow. "I don't like what you're trying to imply, Dr Brennen."

"Agent Booth and I are simply following the evidence which is forensically confirmed by several specialists in their field. We are uncovering what had happened to Dale Brewster and who is responsible." Temperence states in a matter of fact tone. "It have studied the remains that were recovered and confirmed to be Dale Brewster and I have uncovered the physical abuses that tell their own story in the x-rays."

"Just stop right there, Brennen." Keith says impatiently, his face growing red and eyes fixed upon Brennen. "Dale Brewster was not an abused child. He was healthy and happy when I examined him and his medical records only show the recorded breaks. I don't know where you got the idea that the kid was abused. You've got the wrong remains if you're saying the kid was abused."

"Keith, Dr Brennen is a world famous forensic anthropologist and there's no way she's going to get something like that wrong. At least not with all her colleaguea assisting in the investigation." The agent pushes his point across. 

"Then simply tell me what you seem to doubt with my examination." The other doctor snaps and Booth has him, nodding to Bones to continue. 

"The x-rays you submitted to Christina Langley are what we believe to be inaccurate due to the injuries on Dale Brewster's remains." Temperence begins and doesn't let the doctor speak. "However, yes there were remodelled fractures and breaks on the films you sent to the CPS, but they are clearly not the x-rays of Dale Brewster." 

"How would you even know that?" He snaps back.

"I know this because the measurements of Dale's clavicle does not match the clavicle measurements of the x-rays you sent. The bone density in Dale's remains were far denser to a prolonged period of malnutrition and the x-rays you sent didn't show this." Brennen continues impatiently. "So the forensic anthropological investigation concluded that the x-rays that were sent to Christina Langley were not of Dale Brewster."

Agent Booth is impressed, very impressed by Dr Brennen's method of putting the facts across to Driscoll and studies the pediatrion for several minutes of awkward silence. Bones has him rattled him into silence and Booth decides to up the stakes, even if it is a small white lie. 

"Doc, I don't think you realise the seriousness of what's happened here." Booth says. "Medical documents have been forged and manipulated to cover up a crime, which is a federal offence. Do you realise that you can go to prison for anything up to fifteen years? Because that's where you're headed with the evidence we have against you, Dr Driscoll. So I suggest that you come clean with whatever has been going on in this cover up." 

Driscoll sighs and rubs his forehead. He is troubled, deeply troubled and it shows to his two visitors, who of course take advantage of it.

"One of my colleagues at the Jeffersonian specialises in computer forensics and can trace the x-ray that you gave to Christina Langley and how it was edited and even by who." Brennen says out loud. 

"That's how Darren Jenkins was caught when he attempted to blackmail the Mayor by sending him photographs through email of his daughter's lifestyle." Booth adds, then shrugs. "No one is inevitable, Keith. Not Christina Langley or the Darren Jenkins of this world and not you. So you think about it while I read you your rights." 

Temperence watches Dr Driscoll as his colour changes from a healthy pink to a ghostly shade of white, Booth moving behind the man to snap the cuffs onto his wrists with a click. As Booth speaks, Brennen can see Keith Driscoll break down mentally and he finally opens his mouth to speak, which is long overdue. 

"Okay, okay." Driscoll says suddenly with a sigh. "I'll tell you everything I know, but just….take the cuffs off, please."


	5. The Lost Boy chapter 5

Brennen stands with folded arms as she observes Keith Driscoll through the two-way mirror. He has lost his confidence and is quietly contemplating, physically shaking as he goes over his options. He is in serious trouble and won't be able to talk his way out of his current situation. The door to Brennen's right opens and Agent Booth offers her a small smile as he enters and focuses his attention on Driscoll in the interrogation room. He too had been shocked when Driscoll told them the whole story and parts of it seemed totally unbelievable, but still had to be checked out. Booth personally feels like the investigation has taken a step in the right direction and is pleased that Driscoll has given up what information he knew, no matter how damming it was to other people.  After a few more hours, Keith Driscoll is charged and released pending a court date for his obstruction in the Brewster homicide. The latest development had been enlightening and gave Seely Booth questions that he needed answers to, but there to be able to approach people for those answers, he must get a view of the bigger picture and learn the whole story. 

 

At around eleven in the evening, the Jeffersonian team decided to call it a night and the night security guard was surprised to find a light on in Dr Brennen's office and was even more surprised to find her still there. There she sat pouring over various files and books, moving to the light box to examine x-rays and then recording her findings. She is engrossed in several different cases and is trying to make up for lost time. Brennen had been focusing all her time and energy into the Dale Brewster case that she had simply forgotten or postponed the other seven cases on her desk. Perhaps she had forgotten about them since she was so distracted. In fact Temperence Brennen is so distracted that she didn't even see or hear her visitor in her office until she spoke. 

"Sweetie, what are you still doing here?" Angela asks  and folds her arms over herself. "It's almost midnight." 

"I'm working." Brennen answers without looking up, but her heart is racing with fright. "Why are you still here?" 

"Same as you. I just couldn't sleep and I couldn't stop thinking about that kid." The artist admits sadly, sitting down. "All I could think about was how scared and alone he must have felt. How do you cope with it, Brennen? How do you deal with….these horrible things?" 

"In this profession, you learn to accept what you see as physical evidence and facts. You adjust to not seeing the remains as a person, but a jigsaw that you have to put back together." Temperence answers  in cool measured precision. "You learn to simply work on the facts and to not become emotionally attached." 

"That's not what I meant, Brennen." The other woman says. "I wanted to know how you deal with it every single day. Don't you look at the remains and the photos of the person and wonder what they were like or wonder what their dreams were?" 

"Angela, the remains to me are simply bones that tell a story. I don't see them as the little old lady who took in stray neighbourhood cats or the man who leaches his mother." She explains. "The bones tell me a story of their lives and how they lived, but they don't have faces or names. I don't look at the bones as people, just tools to explain their death."

"But you have to see them as someone or you wouldn't be tracking down killers or the truth with Booth." Angela remarks. "If they were just a pile of bones then you would put them in a box somewhere. Did you see Dale's remains as just a pile of bones or a child who was taken and murdered?" 

Temperence sighs. "This discussion isn't going to solve his murder or find his killer. It's important to stay impartial and objective in this type of investigation and to discover the psychical evidence to aid the investigation to achieve the end result."

"I really don't think you believe that, Brennen." Angela  says. "Yeah, you say all the of this like you're at some seminar and giving students a pep-talk, but you still feel the same way. You still look at them and wonder what their hobbies were or what their favourite things to do were."

"Perhaps you are right with your assessment, but personal or emotional involvement doesn't collect or process evidence." Brennen announces after a very very brief pause between them. "I'm sorry, but I have work to do."

Angela's footsteps fade down the corridor, leaving Brennen once again alone with her thoughts. The doctor tries to refocus on her work in front of her but is troubled by Angela's questioning over how she feels about the cases she works on. She had been curt and rude with Angela and wishes she had the chance to apologise, but reasons that Angela doesn't understand how to distance herself from the gruesome details of their work and to not take those details personally. Dr Brennen tidies up her files and paperwork, locking them in the filing cabinet before locking her office door and as always, the night security guard walks her out of the building and watches as she pulls out of the garage. At home she has no interest in food and ends up brooding over Angela's analysis of her reaction to her work. She has always been clinical and professional towards the dead and it hasn't been the first time that she has been called cold and unfeeling. Deep inside it hurts her to think that even her own friend considers her to be cold, but she simply can't change the way she is and a part of her doesn't see why she should have to. She is who she is and people need to accept her for the way she is. Temperence falls asleep on the sofa with Angela's words and hidden meaning ringing in her ears and she pushes down the hurt.

Booth had spent most of the night in his office, reviewing witness statements and forensic reports. His back, shoulders and neck ached as he sat  stooped over his desk trying to make sense of what had really happened to Dale Brewster and even as the clock ticks away, his mind is working overtime. Seely wakes with a jolt and looks to his cell phone that is shrieking at him, the Jeffersonian's number on the display. He picks up the phone still half asleep. 

"Booth." He mumbles. 

"Did I wake you?" Temperence asks and doesn't wait for a reply. "Because I'm positive I know why Dale's medical records were altered." 

"Uh-huh." He says with the tiniest amount of scepticism. "I thought you didn't believe in intuition?" 

"Booth, this isn't a case of intuition or gut feeling, this is based on several key factors and logic." She says adamantly. 

Booth rolls his neck and stifles a yawn. "Okay, so what's this hunch of yours that's based on facts and logic?" 

"We know Christina Langley was blackmailing Driscoll to alter the medical records and we don't know why. Angela proposed that forensically going over Langley's work and home computer could give us more information." Brennen explains. 

"What?" Seely can't believe it. "Bones, we can't just look into her computers because we think something might be on there. We need warrants for that." 

"I understand that, Booth but a judge would expect us to at least try with what we've uncovered in Langley blackmailing Driscoll." She points out.

"I get that, but we don't have enough evidence to prove she was really blackmailing him." He replies. "If we go in with warrants, she knows something is up and this whole case is out the window. Bones, you have to be patient on this." 

"Caroline doesn't seem to think so" She retorts as if he knew all about it. 

"What?" He asks, dumbfounded. "You spoke to Caroline about this?" 

"Yes. She came to see Dr Saroyan, she mentioned it and then Caroline came to ask my opinion." Brennen states. 

"You can't just go talking to a prosecutor about a case that she hasn't been asked to represent, Bones." He scolds her. "You didn't go through the proper channels. A third party can't invite anyone into an investigation." 

"It came up in conversation with Dr Saroyan and Caroline offered to help in any way she could, so I told her what we found out from Driscoll." She answers heartedly. "It isn't like you wouldn't have consulted her yourself." 

"Okay, I get what you're saying but if this is brought up in court then we're going to have to say that you, the third party invited Caroline in on this, okay?" He asks her and she agrees and they end their disagreement. 

Seely leans back in his comfy chair and shakes his head as he repays his and Brennen's conversation over in his head. He can imagine her becoming agitated with him and even angry that he could accuse her of knowingly or unknowingly sabotage the case from a prosecution side and let's out a small laugh. Brennen has guts and he likes that, even when she is over analysing everything in front of her with science and logic. They are two separate people with an individual set of skills that work perfectly together to find the truth.


	6. The Lost Boy Chapter 6

By nine the next morning, Miss Julian has secured two types of warrants for Booth to execute in his investigation. One, searching and seizing all or any information regarding the Dale Brewster, whether it be on work or personal computers. The second warrant is to search for any suspicious or criminal activity which comes from the accusations of blackmail. By eleven, Booth and the FBI are on Christina Langley's property and she is not at all happy about the intrusion. Langley even tries to stop the agents from entering her house until she is given the warrants and rushes to call her attorney, but he is in court and his assistant suggests that she remains quiet until her attorney gets there. So that's exactly what she does as the agents search her house and car, removing every electronic item and scrap of paper and they aren't too particular about their searching methods. But that's when Langley's temper gets the better of her and she starts yelling at any passing agent or officer and she is so vocal that Booth and Brennen attempt to calm her down.

"Agent Booth, I have already told you everything you need to know regarding Dale Brewster and I'm upset that you see it necessary to invade my personal space and search through my belongings as if I had something to hide." Christina Langley says and is clearly disgruntled. "I demand to know what is going on and I can assure you that I will be consulting my attorney. Now tell me what the hell is going on!" 

"Can you tell us why Keith Driscoll gave us altered x-rays that were supposedly Dale Brewster's?" The agents asks. 

"I don't know what you're referring to." She snaps quickly impatiently. "What has this got to do with you people searching my house?" 

"How is it that you know Dr Driscoll, Christina?" Seely wanders around the living room, casually regarding the decor. 

Langley sighs and sits down on the sofa across from Brennen. "Dr Driscoll is the doctor that consults in most of our cases. He is a good doctor and is great with the children." 

"If Driscoll is such and good doctor, then why did he go along with Dale Brewster's name on some other kid's x-ray?" He queries. 

"I have no idea what you are referring to, Agent Booth. Perhaps you can explain how such a thing is possible." She answers.

"Dale Brewster's clavicle is a different length to the one which is supposedly his in the x-ray." Dr Brennen  begins and speaks clearly as if she is delivering to a jury in a court room. "It is evident that Dale's details were added to another child's x-ray, even though both x-rays were almost identical when it came to the injuries." 

"You've made some kind of mistaken, Dr Brennen." Christina Langley replies in a dry tone.

"Dr Brennen doesn't make mistakes." Booth quickly adds. "The truth is that the bones doesn't lie, but people do especially when it comes to murder." 

Booth is carefully watching Langley and he can tell he is hitting a raw nerve with the way she licks her bottom lip and the way she avoids looking at him or Brennen. So, he decides to push her further and hopes she will tell them something that they can work on. 

"Christina, why did Dr Driscoll alter the x-rays?" He asks softly, almost gently. "I know something was going on between you two and I need to know what it is. Why did you ask Driscoll to alter Dale's x-rays?"

The child protective services officer's mouth drops open in surprise, eyes wide and searching for something to say to get out of this situation, but she is stuck there and is forced to listen  to the ugly truth. 

"Why were you blackmailing Driscoll?" Seely asks finally getting to the point and bangs his hand on the desk. "If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm throwing you in jail for impeding in a homicide investigation. Now tell me why you were blackmailing Driscoll!" 

"He was into weird stuff!" She barks and is over emotional. "I was on a night out with a few friends and we were at a bar, one we always go to and I went to ladies and there he was." 

"There who was?' Temperence asks.

"Dr Driscoll. He was dressed from head to toe in ladies clothes with huge heels to match." She recounts slowly. "So later I asked him if his superiors knew about his gimmick and he begged me not to tell anyone, not my friends or family or anyone." 

"But you started blackmailing him." Booth points out.  

"It was small things to start with, like bumping my cases to the front of the queue and  he was pleasant as pie after that." Langley is checking her polished nails as she explains. 

"So why alter the x-rays?" The agent asks. "What are you hiding, Christina?" 

It's as if the raw nerve inside of Christina Langley has been exposed even more and she explodes emotionally. She sobs and hides her face behind her hands and Booth gives her a few minutes before he presses harder to get the truth from her. 

"Something made you lie about the x-rays, Christina." Booth says softly and in a gentle manner. "Why did you get Driscoll to falsify the x-rays?" 

"Because I felt guilty, okay?!" She says in an explosion of tears. "I felt guilty. I shouldn't have done it, but I know….I didn't have a choice." 

 

Booth had spent four hours interrogating Christina Langley and had left the room with a seven page confession of her involvement in misleading the authorities in Dale Brewster's abduction and murder. While the interview was being conducted, Angela Montenegro worked her magic on restoring deleted files and emails on Langley's personal computer and was horrified by the content of the emails. She in fact bad to take a break and a walk to clear her head.  It was clear what was going to happen next, but Booth had to make sure that Dale's killer didn't get away. 

 

Hodgins, Zack, Angela and Booth are seated around one of the tables in their haunt, the Founding Father's and are partly celebrating the result in the investigation and are drowning their sorrows. Each member of the team are saddened by what Langley and the personal correspondence with the killer contained and it was agreed that once Booth had the warrant, he would go after the boy's killer. Hodgins and Zack are goofing around as they usually do and Angela is trying to find out where Brennen is and why she isn't here already. Next to arrive at their table is Cam Saroyan with a large glass of red wine.  

"Isn't Dr Brennen here?" Cam asks and is looking around. 

"She said she would be here." Angela replies with a shrug. 

"I dropped into the lab on my way over here and Dr Brennen wasn't there, just the night security guard." Saroyan replies. "Have you tried calling her?"

"Ange, I'm sure Dr B is just fine and she doesn't need us  chasing after her." Hodgins interrupts. "We're here to celebrate and we should celebrate."

It's decided that the Jeffersonian team will celebrate their success on the case and regardless of what progress they have made to uncover lies, the fact remains that a boy is still dead and his parents are grieving for their child, while the killer hides behind other people. But Booth knows who the killer is and he won't stop until the person responsible is locked up behind bars for the rest of their life.


	7. The Lost Boy Chapter 7 (final chapte)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final year chapter of this episode. I hope you've all enjoyed and the next installment will be coming soon.

Cedar Park jail is where Dale Brewster's killer is headed for the rest of their life. The child killer will mix with petty criminals from all walks of life and will mix with some of the city's most violent individuals. Most of the jail's population are people who are awaiting their trial or have received short stay sentences with a minimum of two years. Anyone who receives a higher sentence will be transported out to a penitentiary. Most of the jail's short stayers are petty criminals who have committed crimes such as; shoplifting, drunken disorderly conduct, traffic violations, drug possession, prostitution and many more. But there are some of the inmates who have much more serious offences against their names. Some inmates have aggravated assault and battery charges, gang banging armed robbery, manslaughter and even murder. Most of the population manages to coexist alongside each other, even with gangs and racial groupings, but there is one thing every inmate hates regardless of their crime is child murderers and child molesters. Anyone who harms a child runs the risk of of constant, vicious assaults so for their own protection, the offender is put into the Special Protection Housing Unit. The chances of assaults or incidents involving the other inmates are non existent thanks to the higher security measures, but even the officers loathe anyone who hurts a child just as much. The Special Housing United and the Special Protection housing unit are similar, both solitary confinement and both containing ultra high security inmates. The SPU is filled with inmates who are problem cases, violent offenders who have been involved in on assaults of staff and other inmates, are top dogs in gangs or are known to be an uncontrollable prisoner. They are there as punishment. The SPHU is there for inmates who have perhaps turned against their one time brothers in a gang and are at risk from being executed as revenge for the betrayal, snitching on their way of life as the gang members would see it. Child molesters and child murderers are also put into the SPHU for heir own safety. Dale Brewster's killer would not be part of general population,and would dress in the lime green uniform that represents each penitentiary's SPHU across the country. But there were always ways of inmates getting to their target and they didn't need to get onto unit to seek their revenge, it was done however it could be done and the risk of getting caught wasn't a concern either. 

 

Agent Seely Booth parks across the street from the Brewster's home and let's out a deep sigh. In his mind's eye, he can see Dale playing on the front lawn with his dad, his mom washing the dishes and doing laundry. It looks like a typical, normal family to anyone who would be paying attention and Booth was going to ruin that tranquility with more heartache. Brennen follows him up to the front door and Mrs Brewster seems surprised by their visit. She looks gaunt and paler than she did last time and Brennen wonders if Mandy Brewster has consulted a doctor about her deteoriating health. 

"Agent Booth!" Mandy Brewster gasps surprised as she steps out of the way to allow them in. "Please, come in. Do you have news? Is that why you're here?" 

"Mrs Brewster, let's go inside and then we can talk." Booth says soothingly and they are lead into the sitting room. "Is your husband home?" 

"Um, yes. He's in the garage, I'll just get him." The mother is panicked and darts off and rushes back almost just as quickly as she left. 

Raymond Brewster wipes his oily hands on a rag and stands in the doorway of the sitting room. He is surprised to see the FBI agent and fancy doctor back in their sitting room. He's visibly annoyed and Dr Brennen surmises that it's because he's been pulled away from his activity in the garage, but there is something lingering between the couple. Booth had seen marriages and entire families split up because of something that was outwith their control. He got that impression from the couple and noted it in his head. 

"We're sorry to bother you, but there has been an update in Dale's case." Booth starts off gently.

"Have you caught who took him?" Mandy asks quickly, holding her breath as her clenched knuckles turn white. "Agent Booth, please tell us the truth. We've been through so much already and I...I need to know who took my baby." 

"Mrs Brewster, I wish I could tell you that we have the perpetrator in custody, but i'm afraid that isn't why we are here. During the course of our investigation we have uncovered certain facts that are....worrying." Seely admits. "I know you've both been through so much already and these questions will come with explanations, but I do need to ask them." 

"We understand, Agent Booth." It's Raymond who answers abruptly. "Just get on with it." 

"Dr Brennen examined Dale's remains and compared them to x-rays that were taken when he broke his arm." He explains. "But Dr Brennen found inconsistencies in the x-rays to the remains."

"Inconsistencies?" Mandy asks out loud. 

"Dale's remains showed several remodeled fractures that had healed without medical aid. In the case of the fractured arm, this fully remodelled fracture showed that it had been treated." Dr Brennen explains as simply as she can and surprisingly the Brewster's understand what she is saying. "But the x-rays that doctor Driscoll took as evidence to disprove the theory of physical assault were altered. Dr Driscoll found a child of the same age with the same injury and altered the details and swapped them." 

"Is that even possible?" The grieving mother asks and is finding it hard to accept. "Why would he do that? How did you find out he had done it?" 

"Dr Brennen and her team go through a process of analysing every inch of bone and she discovered that Dale's clavicle was a different length to the one on Dr Driscoll's x-ray." Booth tries to explain it, then decided to reword it into a much more simpler explanation and eventually they get it. 

The upset mother covers her face several times and let's out soft sobs as the technical terms are put into laymens terms. The agent and his colleagues were sparing the brutal details as not to upset her or her husband over the death of their son. 

"I'm sorry, I haven't been sleeping well and I can't stop thinking about what that animal did." She confesses as she dabs her eyes with a tissue. 

"We understand, really." Booth offers to get her a glass of water and she instead asks for a small drink of scotch. 

"Do you know why that uh...Driscoll screwed up the x-rays?" Mr Brewster asks gruffly. "He had to have a reason for it. And that protection officer should know something, did you talk to her?"

"We interviewed both Dr Driscoll and Ms Langley about what we uncovered in our investigation. Driscoll was blackmailed into altering those details." Booth says. 

"Blackmail?" Mandy gasps. "He's a doctor for goodness sake. He took an oath!" 

"Stop!" Her husband barks. "I don't care about blackmail or oaths or dammed fairies in the yard. I want to know who was blackmailing Dr Driscoll and why and what it had to do with Dale!" 

"It was Christina Langley who was blackmailing Dr Driscoll." Seely answers.

"Oh my God!" Mandy is shocked and can barely ask why it had happened.

"The details of the blackmail aren't important right now, Mrs Brewster but I understand that you want to know as much as we do." The agent coos. "What is important is why Christina Langley wanted to cover up Dale's injuries." 

"You must have some idea, Agent Booth. Why did that....woman do this?" She is upset and is verging on hysterical by the news.

"We have our theories and evidence and a confession about what really happened." Booth answers. "Christina Langley was asked to lie about Dale's injuries and when she did, she was forced to lie about the abduction and murder." 

"What....why would she do that? She knew all this time?" Mandy eventually cracks and starts sobbing and strangely isn't given any comfort from her husband. "She knew and....she knew!" 

"Who killed my son, Agent?" Raymond Brewster asks. "Who killed my son?" 

"Mr Brewster, why did you ask Christina Langley to get a doctor to lie about Dale's injuries?" Dr Brennen intersects quickly. "Dale had suffered several painful injuries that required medical treatment, most of the Injuries caused by pulling or twisting motions. Why did you ask her to lie?" 

The Father's face turns a terrible shade of white as he tries to think of what he should say to dismiss the doctor's theory. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Yes, you do." Booth says impatiently. "You and Christina Langley had been having an affair since she was asked investigate claims of abuse. She told us that you threatened to report her if she didn't go along with it, so she set everything up. She has already agreed to testify against you, Raymond." 

"What is he talking about?" Mandy asks her husband. "Raymond?" 

"Just shut up!" He snaps viciously. "That boy was disobedient and out of control, he needed to be taught a lesson." 

"So you gave him a few beatings, treated the most serious injury at the hospital and pretended like you were the loving father of a four year old kid. You convinced Langley to stay quiet about what had happened, blackmailing her." Booth pushes harder. "So after this, how did Dale end up missing and dead?!" 

It's as if a light has been turned on in Mandy Brewster's head as she jumps up from the sofa and hits her husband over and over again. She screams, pounding her fists into his chest and Booth pulls her away. Normally he wouldn't have plucked the truth from a perpetrator like this, but it rolled out. 

"Raymond Brewster, You have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, it can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have a lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you if you so desire." Booth reads him his rights as he slaps on the handcuffs, a police car already waiting outside and next Booth makes Brewster aware of the charges. "You are detained for the abduction and murder of Dale Brewster. Charged with Blackmail and obstruction in the course of a criminal investigation. Get him out of here."

During the whole exchange with Booth and Brewster, Dr Brennen felt sorry for Mandy Brewster. She never thought that her husband was capable of all the things he had done and the one thing she hated him for the most was for taking her son away from her. Once Raymond Brewster was arrested and being transported to the FBI headquarters, Booth called a family friend to sit with the devastated woman. Dr Brennen sat in on the interviews with Raymond Brewster and listened as the father finally confessed to all the charges. He would be sent to jail to wait for an arraignment the following day and would be held until the trial. Even as Dr Brennen stared across the table she couldn't understand why anyone would do such horrible things to their own children. 

 

Temperence is in her office and is tidying papers into neat piles as Angela pops her head 'round the door. 

"Hey, we're going for something to eat to celebrate, are you coming?" The artistic woman asks. 

"I'm sorry, Angela. I have reports to write for the district attorney's office and they want every detail of the Brewster case. I just don't have time." Brennen explains without stopping what she's doing. 

Miss Montenegro knows what's bothering her friend and she knows that Brennen will do anything to stop her personal feelings from interfering with her work. So Angela decides to approach this bull head on and walks further into the office once she has closed over the door, which the forensic anthropologist has noticed. 

"Come on, Brennen. I know how upset you are about what happened with Dale, but you did everything you could." Angela says truthfully. "His killer is in jail and he's never ever going to get out to hurt anyone else. That's down to you and Booth, you two got that sweet little boy justice." 

Temperence sighs and closes her eyes for a second. "I don't know how or why a parent could do that to their own child. I can't find a scientific reason to explain why a parent would find that the right thing to do. That man beat his child, faked an abduction and murdered a four year old boy. And that same man kept it to himself all this time and involved others in his demise. I just...I just can't explain why someone would or could do that."

"I don't think there's a scientific reason behind this one, sweetie. I don't think any of us will ever understand why some people do the things they do and we just have to accept them." Angela says with feeling and squeezes her friend's hand. "We have to accept that some people are just bad and they do bad things. We're just here to pick up the pieces. Let's go get a drink, everyone is waiting for us."

"You're right, Angela and than you. I really don't know what I would do without a friend like you." Temperence replies and turns off her desk light. "Let's go, because I could use a very large glass of wine." 

 

Raymond Brewster was tried and convinced in a court of law on the eighteenth of March by a jury of his peers. He was found unanimously guilty of the abduction and murder of Dale Brewster and was handed down a life sentence without the possibility of parole. For the other charges of obstruction of justice, child abuse and blackmail, he was given a extra forty years to his sentence. Raymond Brewster was transported into the Special Protection Housing Unit for his own safety and would remain there until his death. 

Christina Langley was also tried and convicted of obstruction of justice and blackmail, she received a seven year prison sentence. She also lost her licence along with her job as a child protective services officer. 

Dr Keith Driscoll was stripped of his medical licence and would never be allowed to practice medicine again. He was imprisoned for five years for his part in the Dale Brewster case. 

 

Mandy Brewster found it hard to accept her husband's actions and it made her grieve more for her deceased son. She couldn't stay in that house anymore with all the memories, so she moved and divorced Raymond. Despite having to deal with so much hardship, Mandy Brewster was coping exceptionally well compared to most and was grateful that the truth of her son's death had finally come out. She would go on to build a new life for herself with time and the events would seem more like a bad memory, but one ting she never could forget was her beautiful and handsome Dale.


End file.
